ELKTON — Mayor Robert Alt, Cecil County Executive Adam Streight and New Castle County Councilman David Tackett have sent a two-page letter to Jenn Schwartz, incoming CEO of ChristianaCare Health System, urging the company to keep the Family Birthing Center at Union Hospital open and operating.
ChristianaCare announced May 18 that it was closing the Elkton hospital’s 11-bed labor and delivery unit, citing finances, low birth rates and staffing issues. Reaction was immediate, with Alt and Streight stating publicly that this was a bad idea for Cecil County, not just for the service provided but also for the loss of more than 30 jobs and the creation of an infant and maternal health desert.
The corporate not-for-profit organization has slated the closing for June 30, this after reducing its service hours to Monday through Thursday operation…